Midyear Budget Hearings Continue

Cook County Board of Commissioners' Finance Committee
        Midyear Budget Hearings - July 22, 2020 

Public Defender
General information available from report online:

• Actual operating expenses as of 5/31/2020 $36,254 530. This was a 2% variance.  FY2020 YTD Budget was $37, 254,530.
• Holdback target of $5,094, 821 was not yet met.  Amount achieved was $3, 020,947 which were line items.  $2 million in COVID-19 related expenses are expected to be reimbursed through CARES Act.  Office currently has 35-40 vacancies holding off on hiring until year end unless critical. 43 attorney office hires were rescinded for Aug-Sept.  Hiring has been impacted by COVID-19 related issues.

Other information of interest

• Closure of cases has been impacted by court closures for 2 1/2 months and has impacted fee collection.  Revenue began to decrease in FY 2019.  No corrective action at this time; dependent on return to normal conditions.
• Case Management Evaluation system will be proposed for Board approval in 2020.
• Preliminary forecast for 2021 is that the office would not be able to meet budget targets. A $9 million reduction for FY 2021 would  result in a reduction of over 100 employees.  Anticipating both backlog of cases due to COVD-19 and uptick in violence this summer, the results would be a high volume of cases of all types. In addition to lawyers, outreach workers, social workers, and paralegals are needed. 
• Reduction in funding would eliminate resources to defend clients; assigning clients fo private attorneys would be more costly, perhaps as much as $6 million. Over-burden of case can likely lead to lawsuits.
• Implementation of Mental Health Resource Unit is in progress.  Currently one psychologist has been hired and been reviewing cases since and establishing relationships with community organizations and stakeholders.  31 referrals have been accepted by this one staff member.
• Police Station Representation Unit (PSRU) continues to build awareness through outreach and networking with community partners. The goal for FY 2020 was to double police station visits to over 2,000 to maximize calls for counsel to represent people in custody.  Due to the impact of COVID however, calls and virtual visits have declined and the goal will not be met.  18% of those provided counsel at the station house were not charged with any offense, demonstrating the effectiveness of the unit.
• Plans to provide improved service to clients, including  those in its conflict division and non-citizens who are best served by lawyers specializing in immigration law were presented. Implementation is dependent on having the necessary resources as demands on this office increase. 

Observer - Carolyn Cosentino